Here’s How Columbus' Park System Ranks In America

COLUMBUS, OH — A new report says Columbus has just a middling park system compared to other big cities in the country. The Trust For Public Land, San Francisco-based nonprofit that aims to create parks and protect land for people, released its 7th annual ParkScore rankings Wednesday and gave Columbus a score of 43.6 out of 100 possible points.

The ParkScore rankings are based on four factors: park access, acreage, investment and amenities.

Here’s a breakdown of Columbus' score:

• Acreage score: 24/40
• Investment score: 21/40
• Amenities score: 11/40
• Access score: 14/40
• Raw score: 70/160
• ParkScore: 43.6/100

The acreage score takes into account the median size of parks in the city and what percent of the city is considered park land. The investment score measures park spending per resident and the access score measures what percentage of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, one of the organization’s key goals. Park amenities looks at the availability of six popular features: basketball hoops, recreation and senior centers, off-leash dog parks, “splashpads” and other water play structures, playgrounds and restrooms.

Columbus Park Facts

• Park acreage: 11,833 acres
• People served per park acre: 74
• Oldest municipal park: Goodale Park, established 1851
• Largest municipal park: Three Creeks Park, 1,156 acres
• Most-visited municipal park: Berliner Park

Columbus did not fare so well compared to other Ohio cities. Cincinnati ranked 7th in the country with a score of 78.2 and Cleveland ranked 37th in the country with a score of 57.6. Toledo ranked 79th in the country with a score of just 37.0.

Adrian Benepe, senior vice president and director of city park development for the nonprofit, says high quality parks make cities healthier in nearly every way.

“Proximity to parks increases physical activity levels among children and adults, reducing risk for obesity, diabetes, and other serious health conditions,” Benepe said in a release. “Parks also help clean the air, mitigate the risk of storm damage, build relationships among neighbors, and contribute to economic growth.”

Among the largest 100 ParkScore cities, public spending on parks reached $7.5 billion in 2018. That's $429 million more than the previous year. That funding boost helped contribute to a slight increase in park access overall, the organization said, with 70 percent of residents in ParkScore cities now living within a short walk of a park, up from 69 percent last year.

Minneapolis had the best park system in the country, the organization said, narrowly edging neighboring Saint Paul to earn top honors for the third consecutive year.

Here are the 10 highest-ranking park systems and their scores:

1. Minneapolis, MN: 84.2
2. Saint Paul, MN: 82.4
3. Washington, D.C.: 81.9
4. Arlington, VA, 81.6
5. San Francisco, CA: 79.6
6. Portland, OR: 78.3
7. Cincinnati, OH: 78.2
8. Chicago, IL: 76.1
9. New York, NY: 74.8
10. Irvine, CA: 73.4

Here are the lowest-ranking park systems:

90. Baton Rouge, LA: 32.9
91. Memphis, TN: 32.8
92. Winston Salem, NC: 31.9
93. Laredo, TX: 31.5
94. Fresno, CA: 30.9
95. Hialeah, FL: 29.7
96. Mesa, AZ: 28.4
97. Charlotte, NC: 25.0

Fort Wayne and Indianapolis declined to participate and were not ranked. Gilbert, Arizona, was not ranked because the necessary data was not available.Click here to read the full methodology.

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